PROJECT SUMMARY

The purpose of the project is to establish an integrated platform where the technical and human resources of the partners (University of Craiova - UCV, University “Politehnica” Bucharest - UPB, University of Pitesti - UP) joint and complete each other in order to find new technological solutions and new materials (liquid crystals, colloidal and “guest-host” mixtures) with direct usage in optoelectronics, but also possible usages in chromatography, spectroscopy, thermometry, as decorative pigments, etc.
Within the framework of the integrated platform fundamental and applicative research activities will be carried on with important contributions in the field of two priority directions of the National Strategy for Research, Development and Innovation: Materials, Processes and Innovative Products and Information and Communication Technology – ICT, in the area where this industry is poor in Romania, namely the supply of IT products and services with high value and minimal impact on the environment.
The project has a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary nature by bringing together competences, knowledge and technologies from Chemistry, Physics and IT fields, through:
 - the integration for the same research aim of three groups of teachers and researchers from three different universities of our country,
- the development and retrofitting of the material resources of three laboratories: the Liquid Crystal Lab. (UCV), Optoelectronics Lab. (UPB), Organic Chemistry Lab. (UP),
- the development of a new research direction at the Faculty of Physics – UCV – thin film characterization by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) in order to cover the regional requests in these type of measurements and to reduce the gap between Oltenia region and the other regions of the country, in this field of research The Liquid Crystal Laboratory from UCV will have a specific division designed for AFM investigations.
We intend that the integrated platform “Advanced technologies and materials for optoelectronics – OPTOMATEH” to be the centre of a further excellence pole developement, as well as a future excellence centre where young researchers could be trained and could work in order to develop their knowledge, skills and abilities to compete with those obtained within international centres. The aim is to hinder the migration tendency of the three partner institution graduates towards high research centres from abroad, as well as the increase of young people competitiveness on the internal and European labour market.
The guarantee for success is ensured by the high scientific competences in the project research field of the team members from the partner institutions (certified through articles published in famous journals, successful research grants, patents, numerous international collaborations). The training of the specialists by such teaching staff will be a complex one, open to new horizons and with a strong multilateral character. The successful collaborative work of the three involved teams and the scientific results already obtained through this collaboration, results with a high potential for optoelectronics applications, enable the project a high level of feasibility.
The requests regarding the sustainable development of the modern society justify the project theme regarding the development non polluting technologies and materials.